The present invention is directed toward an amusement device that allows a person to bounce using a ball and more particularly, toward a device that allows a person to bounce freely in a controlled manner without undue restraint.
Children of all ages enjoy the weightless feel of bouncing. For example, pogo sticks, trampolines, and moon bouncers, all amuse children of various ages because the child is able to bounce in the air, seemingly without restraint. A traditional pogo stick, however, is somewhat rigid and does not provide a very elastic movement. Moon bouncers are a favorite among younger children however they are rather large so that individuals tend not to own them. They are more often rented or found at fairs, amusement parks, or the like. While trampolines are often owned by individuals, they are rather large and are not easily portable.
Various types of smaller, very elastic amusement devices are known. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,716,229 to Van Der Cleyen et al. discloses a jump ball that includes a disk-shaped foot support that extends around an inflatable ball so as to give the ball a substantially figure eight shape. A person stands on the foot support and pushes his or her ankles against the ball to retain it in place and then jumps up and down like a pogo stick. But unlike a pogo stick, this invention does not have a handle so that a person must balance on the ball unaided. This makes it somewhat difficult to use and can create a potentially dangerous situation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,809 to Blankenzee also discloses a jump ball that includes an inflatable, flexible ball with a rigid plate that surrounds the ball. A person stands on the plate in order to jump up and down. Again, however, this action may be dangerous because of the limited control as the person has nothing to hold on to as he or she is jumping. The apparatus is also difficult to use for many people.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,179,409 to Marino discloses an elastic amusement device that includes a ball with a frame partially surrounding the ball with a rigid handle extending upwardly from the frame. A person stands on the frame, holds the handle, and bounces. However, the ball is essentially encased by the frame thereby limiting the expansion and movement of the ball so that the ball cannot move as freely when a person is bouncing thereon. The rigid handle also makes the devices somewhat uncomfortable to use as it does not absorb the shock from the bouncing ball but, rather, transfers it to the arms and upper body of the person using the same. The rigid handle itself can also potentially cause injury to the person using the device if he or she should fall on the same.
A need exists, therefore, for a bouncing amusement toy or device that is comfortable to use and which allows the person to freely bounce in a controlled and safe manner.